we're going to start with weather and mike nicco. hey, mike. >> good morning, reggie, kumasi, jobina, hi, everybody. live doppler, we'll head to the north bay, santa rosa, rohnert park, pen grove, light rain right now. you can see in the east bay a lot of our inland neighborhoods receiving rain and that is snow on mt. diablo, the temperature is 31 degrees. help your showers between hayward and fremont, and also just to the east of -- west of red wood city in the mountains there. and down right on downtown san jose. you can see, what to expect out of this 1, wintry showers once again. that means hail, lightning, even some snow on our highest peaks. and so far most of us had a quarter to a third of an inch and more is on the way. it will taper a little bit this afternoon, with the heaviest of the rain through the morning and early afternoon hours. all right, let's get over to kumasi. i'll be back in a few minutes. >> thank you, mike. new at 6:00, new vaccines are coming.

president biden is expected to announce today that the federal government has bought 100 million more doses of the johnson & johnson vaccine. according to "the new york times," they're expected to be delivered later this year, but that will not speed up the timeline for getting all americans vaccinated. instead, they will be kept on hand for an eventual green light to vaccinate children. three more counties moved from the purple tier to the red tier. that means more businesses are reopening today. here's a look at the latest map. the alameda, solano and santa cruz counties joining five others in the red tier. sonoma and contra costa are the only two local counties that are still in the purple. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield live in fremont with what the change means for you. amy? >> reporter: hi, good morning. not many people want to sit outside in this weather or that weather that mike just described and eat a meal. it is much more cozier inside and now here in fremont where we are, in alameda county, you

don't have to sit out here. in the red tier that means east bay cities like fremont can now invite a limited number of customers inside. business owners we talked to say this will help. they are very happy to be in the red tier. residents tell us they are sympathetic to what the businesses have been through. >> i work for an independent business myself. and i understand the lockdown has been like tragedy for everybody, so, yeah, really looking forward to it. i miss the whole being -- i'm a people person. very social, very outgoing. i really enjoy the community. and especially around here. it is really nice. so, yeah, yeah, i'm really looking forward. i'm stoked. >> reporter: other businesses that can open indoors include museums, movie theaters and gyms. retail stores and grocery stores, they were already open. but in the red tier they can now allow more customers inside than they could in the purple. you may see the lines go down outside the grocery store.

this is in effect for alameda, santa cruz and solano counties starting today. as we stand here in fremont, it just started to rain. this timing couldn't be any better. if you're headed out for breakfast, you'll be able to avoid the rain and sit inside. amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you, amy. a live look now at capitol hill where the house meeting is just getting started this morning. congress members expected to cast their final votes on the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill. jobinafortson here with how soon americans could get checks. >> they're expected to pass the bill along party lines with no republican support. the white house says a family of four making under $150,000 a year is going to get a $5600 stimulus check, plus $2600 from the child tax credit. that's a total of $8200 per family. democrats say the bill was also -- will also help small businesses and cities and states

facing revenue short falls. republicans say the relief package is too broad and expensive. >> it is focused on pushing more of the far left agenda. >> if we do our job, i'm confident that americans will make it to the other side of this pandemic. >> if the bill passes the house, president biden is expected to sign the bill by the end of this week. he says checks could start going out this month with electronic payments hitting bank accounts first. kumasi? >> thank you, jobina. this morning, texas is fully open for business, no masks required. governor greg abbott ordered all pandemic restrictions to be lifted. people were up near houston getting their workout on. this is 24 hour fitness, near houston. it has an area where no masks are required. texas business owners can choose to limit capacity or to implement their own safety protocols. if hospitalizations surge above 15% in any of the state's 22 hospital regions, county judges

could decide to resume some restrictions. covid-19 took, of course, center stage in governor newsom's state of the state address. he spoke from an empty dodger stadium, recounting the devastation from covid-19, and also pointing out some hope. >> the first state, the first state to issue a stay-at-home order and we were the first to launch these mass vaccination sites in partnership with fema. >> state republican leaders not impressed. meantime, the governor took a swipe at those calling for his recall. >> he absolutely has in plan for how to get our kids back in school. he has no plan for how to improve edd. >> california critics out there who are promoting partisan, political power grabs with outdated prejudices and rejecting everything that makes california truly great, we say this, we will not be distracted from getting shots in arms and our economy booming again. >> newsom touched on the intense wildfire season and climate

change. happening today, state superintendent of public instruction tony thurmond will host a meeting to talk about the reopening of schools. it includes a strategic use of rapid covid-19 testing as a tool. earlier this week thurmond told abc 7 news he feels very confident that kids will be back in person by the fall. thurmond cites governor newsom's announcement that 210,000 education staff members have already been vaccinated in the first week of prioritizing them. we're learning more about santa clara conte's decision to not join the state wide effort have blue shield lead vaccine distribution. it will not be signing the contract with the company because it is another layer of administrative bureaucracy. one concern the state requirement to use the my turn vaccine appointment system. >> it would mean a private insurance company would be collecting all the protected health information and personal information for all residents who are vaccinated. >> santa clara county joins los

angeles county in refusing to sign a contract. the insurance company says its goal is to build a network that reaches all of california, especially communities that are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. gig workers in san francisco are a step closer to getting more protection from coronavirus. the board of supervisors passed an ordinance requiring companies like uber, doordash and instacart to provide ppe to its drivers. it gives them paid time to disinfect their cars and wash their hands. the bill also applies to workers at grocery stores, drugstores and restaurants. the city passed a similar emergency measure last spring. this new bill, though, is permanent. so it will not require a second vote next week. pressure is mounting to get mass vaccination sites open in the tenderloin and on treasure island. >> disparity on the island has existed for years. however, with us being on the island, isolated from the city, we continue to not be a priority in this time.

>> community leaders join san francisco supervisor matt haney for a virtual news conference yesterday to talk about the neighborhood's needs. haney says treasure island has the lowest vaccination rate of all san francisco neighborhoods, while the tenderloin has the highest case rate. they are, by the way, among the zip codes deemed most vulnerable to the pandemic. so that means they're going to get 40% of california's vaccine supply. we have mapped them out and you'll find it in this story on abc7news.com. still ahead, the former minneapolis police officer on trial in the death of george floyd. how three jurors already selected feel about the black lives matter movement. it is going to take us well into next year and potentially beyond. many students have catching up to do after falling behind on reading during the pandemic. how local schools are trying to support their students. here's a look at one of the numerous showers out there, south san francisco, base shore,

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check this out, snow falling on lake county. this video from just last night shows the snow coming down on highway 75 outside of middle town. there is enough snow that, look at that, cal trans sent out a plow to clear the roads. you still have another 1 to 2 inches possible through about 10:00 this morning. you're under a winter weather advisory. travel impacts could continue. you see a live doppler 7, the yellows -- not the yellows, the white and the pink, that is the snow and wintry mix that continues to fall up there. for the rest of us, we have a chance of thunderstorms through 4:00 tomorrow and then that chance will slide over towards the monterey bay and southward. here is a look at future radar, you see scattered showers, waves of them moving through, all the way up to lunch. note there is a little less coverage as we head into the evening commute.

and that continues that tapering as we head toward 11:00 and this time tomorrow morning, there may be a shower or two around the crui santa cruz mountains and peninsula. one or two may fire up around the south bay tomorrow afternoon. by far, everything is just about over by tomorrow morning. this one on the storm impact scale. be careful out there this morning. it is definitely slippery. let's get over to jobina and find out what's going on with the commute. jobina? >> thank you, mike. good morning, everyone. as mike was just stating, it has been really busy out there. loads of crashes right now. the chp is following nearly 30 incidents. we're going to bring you to the biggest one now through the altamont pass, a sig alert on eastbound 580 at stone cut involving two big rigs, injuries have been reported here. one turned on its side, speeds down to 4 miles per hour. it is in the countercommute direction, moving over to millbrae now, on southbound 101 before the millbrae avenue off ramp, a crash there, you see

there is a little bit of a slowdown beginning to form. so many spinouts to report. another one in walnut creek, westbound 24 at el cortola. roadway flooding in san jose on southbound 680 at the alum rock off ramp there. i want it show off the bay bridge toll plaza, chp issued a high wind advisory for the bay bridge. no mitering lights on yet. i want to check in on san jose looking live at 101 because it has been very slick

don't miss out on floor and decor's grand opening in pleasant hill! comfortably shop our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection. discover the perfect floor at the perfect price in whatever way is perfect for you. explore floor and decor's newest east bay area location march 18th. more than 20 potential jurors have been dismissed in the trial over george floyd's death. some said they wouldn't be able to set aside their views about the case. jury selection will resume today. former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin faces second degree murder and manslaughter charges in floyd's

death in may. so far three jurors have been seated, two white men and a woman. only described as a woman of color. all three say they generally support the black lives matter movement. supervisor melgar is calling for new safety improvements near lake merced after a deadly crash last month when an intoxicated driver ran a red light, causing this chain reaction crash. the sfmta says tracking devices show vehicles regularly drive above posted speed limits in that area. there were 154 crashes on the streets around lake merced. a new study found that distance learning had a negative impact on reading skills at the elementary school level. abc 7 news reporter david louie shows us what is being done to correct it. >> reporter: students and teachers alike had a steep learning curve when classes went virtual. researchers say reading fluency suffered dramatically, especially among second and third grade students.

this is an example how well they should be reading in third grade. >> one day in november 2006 a bee keeper in florida went to check his beehives. what he saw or did not see was shocking. >> instead there was a 30% drop in fluency nationally from tests done using software from san francisco-based literally. students were given something to read. >> they read that passage allow and the ipad records it. that recording is sent off site to a scorer who computes the number of words read correctly per minute by the student. >> teachers at san jose's gardener elementary saw the same problem across all grade levels. interactive reading exercises were added. >> we were able to provide intervention supports beyond the teacher for students who are really struggling at this point. >> reporter: the principal and the lead stanford researcher said progress was made by fall. reading fluency has an impact on other learning. >> their educations have been

transformed by this experience in a way that is going to have long lasting effects. we need to document. >> reporter: one year late, restoring fluency hasn't been achieved. there is catch-up to do? >> no question. no question. and it is going to take time. it is going to take us well into next year and potentially beyond to really close the gaps. >> reporter: david louie, abc 7 news. >> we have a lot more from this week's look at learning loss across the bay area. you can find it by downloading the abc 7 bay area app on your streaming device. scroll down to our building a better bay area section. hawaii's governor issued an emergency declaration after severe flooding on oahu and maui. catastrophic flooding has prompted officials to order evacuations from a town that is north of honolulu. people are being directed to leave the town immediately. that's on oahu's north shore, which is an area famed for big wave surfing. and by the way, some of these surfers are taking advantage.

yikes. crowds gathered to watch this surfer take on those raging floodwaters, flowing out of a river into the harbor. i would not recommend this. the severe weather is expected to continue through friday. that's a real good way to get hurt. >> you never know what's in that water. >> what did you say? >> you never know what's in that water. it could be contaminated too. >> that's what i was going to say. the place where the surfer is about to enter into the ocean is exactly where the sharks like to hang out because it is dirty water they can hide in. so it is a no for me. but thinking about the people on oahu today. >> yes, because they still have through the afternoon hours of the potential for flooding and then finally the weather will start to calm down and give them a break. back here at home, jobina talked about some roads around alum

rock. we had a heavier cell roll through. that as it continues to drain could be an issue. i'm sure she'll talk more about it, hopefully, now -- if she's listening. here is a look at what's going on, you can see out of the altamont pass you're going to descend into some wet weather and possibly a heavier shower on 680. as you head down from pleasanton into sunol. just the big picture here, the low, the curl in the radar returns is still up off the mendocino county coast. as long as that is spinning up there, it is going to continue to throw showers our way. you can see one going through walnut creek right now. since we have been on the air at 5:00, we had .15 of an inch of rain at walnut creek. showers will taper tonight, protect your plants as frost is possible in our deepest valleys. and, again, friday morning. dry saturday, but sunday's trending to be a little bit wetter. if you're heading out in san francisco, 43 in sunny side to 46 in numerous other

neighborhoods. temperatures pretty much in the low to mid-40s everywhere this morning. our destination only 51 to 56, a good ten degrees below average. and tonight, you can see the freezing cold temperatures in the north bay valleys and getting close in the san ramon valley. most of us in the 30s tonight. only places like san francisco and oakland in the 40s. quick look at what's happening sunday into monday, you can see a chance of showers rolling through as another 1 on the storm impact scale will bring us some much needed rain. before that, we have a warming trend for friday and saturday. we're setting our clocks ahead an hour before we go to bed saturday night. be careful out there. the rain is going to continue throughout the morning commute. >> thank you. now we're checking in with ginger live with what's coming up on "gma" at 7:00. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, kumasi, hi, reggie, nice to be with everybody this morning. coming up here on "gma," we're going to start with the race to vaccinate. texas is reopening this morning, dropping its mask mandate and the head of the cdc dr. rochelle

walensky has some things to say about that. she'll join us for an exclusive. queen elizabeth broke her silence after that explosive interview, what she's now saying about the racial allegations in the meghan and harry interview. plus, our royal insiders are going to go ahead and take us inside the firm and tell us how the royal family really works in case you wanted that breakdown. and then it has been about a yar since the pandemic hit, an anniversary nobody asked for. we bring in a top neuroscientist to share his three tips for breaking bad habits, changing your brain at the core, regaining control, yes, yes and yes. and then we're going to catch up with wnba superstar and activist maya moore. and the man she helped free from prison 23 years after a wrongful conviction. the newlyweds since they did get married revealing their newrefo. and the answer if maya is going to come back to the basketball court. it is all comingp he on "gma." >> that's a whole story and i

like it. >> mm-hmm. me too. so special. >> talking about remaking your brain, whatever you just said, amen to that. yesterday my husband was, like, we need you to leave this house and walk around this block so that you can get right. he was correct. >> got to do it sometimes. i'm reading another book called atomic habits. i have a lot of atomic habits, i realized. >> need to look into that.

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let's take a look at what's going on. wintry weather in the north bay on mt. diablo and also on mt. hamilton. that's part of the wintry showers we're going to have through tomorrow morning. the heaviest snow is up in lake county. that's why you in parts of mendocino county are still under this winter weather advisory

until 10:00 this morning. i wouldn't recommend traveling to the sierra through 7:00 this evening. winter storm warning up to another foot of snow is possible and you can see how active live doppler 7 is across the sierra. so no traveling today, a little bit better tomorrow afternoon, but look at all that sunshine for friday and saturday. kumasi, reggie? >> thank you, mike. well, today is march 10th, but it is also known as the annual mario day. and here's why. so mar and the number 10 looks like the spelling of mario. and nintendo has adopted this by offering 35% discounts on certain switch games through saturday including super mario party, luigi's mansion 3, super mario maker 2 and mario tennis ace. you can find the deals at other retailers as well. i have another character to talk about, mickey. disney land and disney california adventure reopening by late april according to ceo

bob chapek. he made that announcement yesterday. under state guidelines, theme parks can open at 15% capacity after april 1st if their county is in the red tier. and then the capacity grows every time they advance. now, only california residents are allowed to visit for now and there will be some other guidelines. and disney is the parent company of abc 7. >> excited to hear that. >> we need to get you there. >> we need to go. i was going to say road trip. >> you know i'm your guy. >> you are. you're going to be such a good guide. >> i really am. coming up next, speeding up the vaccine rollout, a big name discount chain is partnering with the cdc. while some local counties just entering the red tier, others are aiming for orange. the timeline for that if all goes according to plan. and as we head to break, we're taking a live look outside at clouds. that's because it is raining in many parts of the bay area. mike is tracking that. we'll be right back.

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building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. now at 6:30, a violent attack in an uber. the uber driver says he's traumatized after he says a passenger lashed out. how the argument began over masks. >> most people want to come to restaurants to dine in with their families. starting today, more people can do just that. the red tier reopenings in three local counties. and here's a live look through the zephyr lake tahoe camera near south lake tahoe. earlier we could see snow. it has been falling steadily in the mountains overnight and we have been getting a wintry mix in the bay area as well. mike is tracking all of that. >> good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, march 10th, we want to check in with mike for more on that forecast. >> yes, mike wants to take off as soon as the sunrises, so he can go up on mt. diablo and play in the snow, but that's not going to happen. maybe you can and it is going to be on hamilton also.

and several inches likely. here is a look at our 1, light storm that is going to continue bringing the showers that will taper considerably this evening and overnight. but i'll keep it on through tomorrow morning as the snow on the peaks will continue also. here say look, you see snow in the north bay mountains, rain from petaluma up to calistoga. the peninsula from brisbane down into the south bay, we're looking at light to moderate showers. look at that wintry weather falling in the santa cruz mountains and diablo range. as you look from antioch down towards pleasanton and livermore, we have light rain. this is all moving off to the east. here say look from the east bay hills where we had three quarters of an inch, some highest totals right there in the east bay hills. temperatures going to be cool today with showers tapering as we head into the afternoon hours. low it mto mid-50s. we had issues with the morning commute, let's get over to jobina. >> thank you, mike.

good morning, everyone. we haven't had a morning like this in a long time in terms of the commute. i'm following two major sig alerts, first one in oakland right now, this is on westbound 24, before broadway, a solo car spinout. we have seen a ton of these. speeds down to around 7 miles per hour and injuries reported. there is not an estimated time as to when all of that will reopen. we're also following a second sig alert through the altamont pass. we have been watching this since 5:00 this morning on eastbound 580 at stone cut. one truck has turned on its side and is blocking at least two lanes. one other lane is blocked by debris, injuries have been reported here. we do not have an estimated time as to when all of this will reopen either. reggie reggie? >> thank you. limited indoor dining and mu zamz a museums and other activities are back in three counties. in the bay area, only sonoma and

contra costa counties are in the purple tier. amy hollyfield is live in fremont as they get ready for reopenings. hi, amy. >> reporter: if you want to eat out today, near alameda county, where we are, you have a choice. you can eat outside or you can now go inside. so the red tier does allow those indoor dining rooms to open. and owners of restaurants say this is a big deal, that the shutdown of indoor dining has really hurt business. if you are concerned about eating inside, keep in mind you can only allow in 25% of their capacity. and, of course, outdoor dining is still an option. but those in the restaurant industry say outdoor dining has not been a popular choice this time of year. they say this is going to be a good boom in business for them. >> all these local so happy, so we was waiting for this moment, so last year was a bad year. >> we want things to go back to normal. we all miss having customers

dine in and bringing families together to eat pizza. >> reporter: and many restaurant managers tell us they're happy for their employees. they say indoor dining means they can probably bring back some of the employees they had to send home when the shutdown happened. red tier means gyms, movie theaters, museums can all open inside to limited capacity. and you'll likely see those lines go down outside the grocery store and retail stores. those stores can now allow more people inside in the red tier than they could in the purple tier. reporting live in fremont, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you, amy. santa clara county's board of supervisors wants to help small businesses by waving or reducing permitting fees for a year. the board voted unanimously to give small businesses with less than 50 employees that assistance. restaurants, gyms and hair salons have been the hardest hit. the county will move 5.5 million from its contingency fund to offset the lost fees. today, texas has officially

reopened. no more mask mandate. as more states ease restrictions, the director of the cdc says she's worried this is going to get in the way of vaccine efforts. jobina is at the live desk now. jobina? thank you, reggie, cdc director dr. rochelle walensky says her biggest fear with texas reopening now is it will create a rise in cases as vaccination efforts are starting to ramp up across the country. she says that can cause a delay in herd immunity. so far only 10% of the country has gotten vaccinated and walensky says the cdc is not ready to put out standards or guidance for full reopenings. that's due to the majority of the country that has yet to be vaccinated. >> what worries me about really lifting all restrictions, lifting mask mandates is that we still have a large proportion of this population that is not protected and that we really do need to protect as we scale up vaccinations. >> walensky added states that don't have schools open should not be considering fully

reopening at all. she also urged both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to avoid traveling in hopes of preventing yet another surge in cases. however, walensky does say that guidance will continuously be updated as vaccinations rise and case rates continue to drop across the country. kumasi? >> thank you, jobina. youth sports have returned to the bay area and now some coaches are eligible to be vaccinated. according to one local health official, the state vaccine guidelines as they relate to student care and education are up to the counties to interpret. so san francisco and marin counties say that all youth coaches are eligible for a vaccine whether or not they work at a school. >> i have not been vaccinated yet, but i do have an appointment scheduled for saturday. i hope everybody gets vaccinated. i think it is the right thing to do. >> i feel a lot more comfortable with the coaches being vaccinated, and i feel like it is a lot safer environment. >> officials in other bay area

counties say right now only coaches who are affiliated with the school are eligible for a vaccine. the cdc says it is looking to partner with dollar general in an effort to speed up vaccinations in rural areas of the u.s. the talks come amid concerns that rural americans who don't have access to big box stars won't be vaccinated. dollar general is one of the nation's largest retailers with more than 16,000 locations and that's about three times the number of locations as walmart. and more than half as many as cvs and walgreens. specific details were not available. the state of california appears to be doing well compared to other states when it comes to not wasting covid-19 vaccines. sf gate reports that 10.5 million doses have been administered as of march 7th. of that, less than 10,500 have been wasted. last month abc 7 news found 600 vaccines were wasted as if february 19th in santa clara,

contra costa, san mateo counties. as for alameda, san francisco, solano and sonoma counties they don't share specific figures but officiales say few vaccines don't get into arms. abc 7 news is monitoring the covid vaccine rollout in california with our vaccine tracker. you can find this at abc7news.com. the community is coming together to help an uber driver attacked by a passenger who refused to put on a mask. a go fund me has raised nearly $30,000 as police try to track down the suspects. we want to warn you that video of this incident is disturbing to see. >> i got corona. yeah, what's up? what you gonna do? >> that's my property. >> so this happened monday afternoon at san bruno avenue and felton street in san francisco. the driver tells abc 7 that one of the women did not have a mask, because uber policy states all passengers wear a mask. and he told them he would drop

them off at a nearby gas station. and that's when this situation escalated. >> they started punching me, cursing me, questioning me about me being a man, the ladies were even talking about shooting me, calling their cousins to shoot me, and they were making fun of my race. >> san francisco police are investigating, they say one of the suspects actually sprayed pepper spray into the car. he says uber offered him $20 to help him clean up the mess. he was able to get more. but now he says he's too traumatized to go back to work. an effort to recall san sa francisco da chess wa boudin cao forward. the group needs to get signatures of 10% of the city's registered voters. that equates to a little more than 50,000 people. the group has until august 11 th.

bowden faced heavy criticism for his handling of several high profile crimes including a deadly hit and run on new year's eve. still ahead, more fallout in the san francisco city hall corruption scandal. the woman who plans on pleading guilty. and you're looking live right now at the big board at the new york stock exchange, up about 270 points. another update on how the markets are doing next. also, raising awareness with bean dip? why this man is sitting in a pool full of it. >> i have to fix my face. i had to close my eyes. i just -- it really disrupts my stomach. >> mm-hmm. >> yeah. >> hope you're not eating breakfast. >> that's going to be an interesting story, yeah. >> hey, mike. >> hi. sadly looks like the oatmeal i'm about to have in an hour or so, so, yeah, i feel like the -- yeah. yeah. yeah. i'm with you on that one. here is a look at what's going on outside.

it is a wet wednesday morning. about .43 in san rafael. south on 101, light rain falling in san jose, about .32 at 280 and 17. and it is going to be hardest to get around this morning. the commute this evening will be a little bit easier, the rain will taper, but watch out for rainbows also. that's a good positive thing that we can look at between the showers as we head into the morning and afternoon hours. i want to show you all the snow on either side of the valley, it is raining in the south bay. we'll have several inches, especially on hamilton and diablo. once the sun comes up and breaks through the clouds. should do that anytime. once it breaks through the clouds, gorgeous sight you can see wave after wave of showers in the valley, snow showers in our mountains happened during the overnight hours. still the threat of hail and graupel for those of us in the lower elevations and dangerous lightning that will shift to the monterey bay as we head to

tomorrow. future radar, from now through noon, we'll have our best chance of those showers. watch what happens between noon and 5:00. you see the coverage taper. that tapering continues as we head into the evening and overnight hours. still a chance around the bay, peninsula, coast, we head through tomorrow's morning commute and slight chance tomorrow afternoon. watch that green pop up in the diablo range as you head towards mt. hamilton. that would be it. once we head into thursday evening, it is finally gone and out of here. another quarter to a half inch is possible depending how many of these showers you get rolling through your neighborhood. been an issue with the commute, let's get over to jobina. what are you seeing now? >> mike, so many problems unfortunately, good morning, everyone. we're going to get right to the map so we can start with the issues that could potentially impact your morning commute, beginning with the sig alert we have been tracking all morning long through the altamont pass, two big rigs crashed here, one turned on its side on eastbound 58 at stone cut. speeds down to 13 miles per hour

in the area. positive news in oakland, the sig alert we were following on westbound 24 before broadway has cleared. i'm giving you the thumbs up there. speeds are still low. i also want to check in on millbrae because we have a crash here on southbound 101 before millbrae avenue. the off ramp there, slowdown you can see on the map and also in walnut creek, things are really jamming up on westbound 24 at el curtola because of a crash. it is impacting traffic on 680. speeds around 13 miles per hour there. last thing i want to show you on the map here, roadway flooding reported in san jose on southbound 680 at the alum rock off ramp there. live look outside, emeryville, showing you 80, all of those headlights making their way towards the maze. if you're traveling toward the bay bridge toll plaza, i can tell you mitering lights are not on yet. the chp has issued a high wind advisory for the bay brid

i also want to look at the san mateo bridge, problems here this morning. traffic has been slow, traveling westbound toward the peninsula. westbound toward the peninsula. you seecalifornia phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call during business hours.

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. an escalating surge of migrant children are being held at the border, overwhelming government facilities. sources confirmed to abc news the number of children detained at the border hit a record high. the number of children crossing the border without parents or guardians swelled to near 3500 in the last two weeks alone, including nearly 200 kids under the age of 12. "good morning america" will have much more on this coming up next at 7:00. u.s. visa applicants whose requests were denied under former president trump's controversial travel bans can reapply. the state department announced travelers from 13 mostly muslim majority and african nations can seek new decisions or file new applications.

president biden overturned the travel ban on the first day in office and gave the state department 45 days to come up with a plan that would allow those affected to have their u.s. visa applications reconsidered. there is more fallout now in the san francisco city hall corruption investigation. former city official sandra zuniga pleaded guilty to federal charges. the u.s. attorney's office says she will plead guilty to money laundering charges and will cooperate with investigators. she is the former director of the office of neighborhood services. prosecutors say she conspired with her romantic partner former public works head mohammad nuru. she is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in this widening investigation. now to your morning money report, salesforce canceled its lease on its unfinished parcel f tow tower. it comes after the company announced workers can work from home permanently. salesforce is san francisco's largest private employer. the cancellation is yet another blow to the downtown area as

tech companies continue to keep workers at home amid the pandemic. now let's take a live look at the new york stock exchange, as trading gets under way this morning. we're still up right now about 320 points. as some communities are entering the red tier today, three bay area counties are already close to reaching the even less restrictive next tier, which is orange. san francisco, marin and san mateo counties are currently trending toward the orange tier. that would loosen restrictions for restaurants, places of worship, gyms, museums and other businesses. and amusement parks and theme parks can also reopen. it is something many of us have taken for granted before the pandemic, the simple act of hugging someone. well, this week for the first time in a year, a new york grandma gave a hug. this is evelyn shaw, she just received her second covid-19 vaccine. so her doctor wrote her a

prescription to hug her granddaughter. that tender moment captured on video. the granddaughter says she arranged the whole thing with evelyn's doctor. that's very sweet. >> isn't that so sweet? that is the best hug. >> i see what you're saying, we watched this earlier and kumasi got all the feelings. >> see? >> i wasn't ready to be in my feelings and now in the 6:00 hour i now have feelings. >> okay, good. i'm glad. i was a little concerned. okay. >> got to wake up, for me. >> my dad turns 80 at the end of april, both my parents have been vaccinated. my sister has been vaccinated and others are going to be vaccinated and i can't wait to go see them. all right. haven't seem them in a year and a half. let's look at what's going on in the south bay. you're looking at 280 and 17, you can see some light rain is falling right now. same thing in san rafael, since the last time we talked.

the rain has definitely picked up in intensity there. the big picture shows there is just more on the way as that low continues to spin off the mendocino county coast. we have a 1 for today, wintry showers that could briefly be heavy at times with hail and if it does fall, it could make things a little icy in our lower elevations and snowy in our higher elevations thanks to hail and snow. beautiful picture from the east bay hills, the different layers of clouds this morning. nearly three quarters of an inch of rain, highest totals, third of an inch of rain as we look at san francisco from sutro tower. the showers will taper tonight, now there is a possibility of a freeze the next couple of nights. if you put the garden in, make sure you cover it. sunday and monday trending weather. temperatures around san francisco, 43 to 46. most of us in the low to mid-40s this morning. o51 to 56 degrees, and you can see the colder temperatures, wealth of 30s tonight. only a few 40s out there antioch along the coast and san

mateo, oakland, richmond, san francisco. sunday to monday, you see another cold front coming through with a chance of wet weather and possibly up it a third of an inch of rain. we'll time it out as we get closer. milder tomorrow, back to average friday and saturday. and, again, tuesday with a 1 wednesday, sunday and possibly monday. kumasi? >> thank you, mike. next week, emanuel archo will be stepping in for chris harrison as host of "the bachelor: after the final rose." the former nfl player is a new york times best-seller for his book uncomfortable conversations with a black man. harrison temporarily stepped back from "the bachelor" after he defended a contestant who attended a plantation themed party. acho says he hopes harrison can learn from his mistakes. >> i don't believe in cancel culture. i believe in accountability. i believe in understanding. i believe in growth. now, if someone's intent is malicious, then by all means,

cancel them. but if someone's intent is not malicious, but their action still is, then educate them so we can alter the intent and thus alter the action. >> harrison apologized for his comments and says he will be returning to the show. happening today, tennis legend serena williams will be speaking to local college students. the silk speaker series at usf is hosting the virtual event and williams will be talking about her tennis career, but also discussing her off the court activities as an entrepreneur, activist, philanthropist and venture capitalist. she will also discuss the power sport has in changing the world. this starts at noon. roadblocks will begin trading shares on the new york stock exchange. the online video game platform featuring child friendly games is going public via a direct listing after postponing its ipo late last year. the direct listing price is set at 45 bucks a share. no new shares will be issued.

instead current investors and employees can sell about 199 million shares when trading opens. the price gives roblox a valuation of 30 billion. 37 million users plays roblox every single day. if you drive a kia, you may want to park outside for a while. some sportages and 2017 to 2019 kadenzas are being recalled because of an issue that can start a fire. a part under the hood can short circuit. so far there are no reports of fires, crashes or even injuries, but if you have one, experts recommend parking it outside and away from structures until the problem can be fixed. a new study finds five bay area cities are among the top 40 happiest cities in the country. wallet hub's report ranked fremont number one as the happiest city in america. they examined cities base thy key indicators.

san jose ranked fifth. santa rosa tenth. san francisco, 13th and oakland 38th. san francisco, oakland and fremont tide for first for the lowest depression rate. detroit was ranked 182nd as the least happiest city. back to this story, if you have a sensitive stomach, maybe you should just not look. a southern california man loves his local mexican restaurant so much that he spent 24 hours sitting in some bean dip. this is hunter ray barker at los tores. he came up with this bean dip idea on his own. he did it to bring attention to the small businesses struggling during the pandemic. and then he also had his -- the restaurant's logo tattooed on his arm while he was sitting in this dip. barker says the small businesses are the backbone of the nation and they need support. >> uh-huh. is there anything that he -- he

could sit in, like -- >> i really cannot. we didn't ask for it. the restaurant didn't ask for it. >> they didn't. the tattoo also. >> i need to go somewhere and eat something. >> maybe sit in, like, haribo gummy bears. >> maybe. >> if they're, like, a prize. >> yeah. >> and then you can get off it real quick. >> anything but that. coming up next, the seven things you need to know today. >> abc 7 launched new streaming apps. wherever you are, you can get our live newscast, breaking news, weather and more with our bay area app, on apple av, android tv, fire tv and roku. search abc 7 bay area and download it for free. first, a live look outside at 6:55. we will be right back.

it is 6:57. if you're just joining us, here are the seven things to know this morning. number one, three more bay area counties moved from the purple tier to the list restrictive red tier. indoor dining and other businesses can now reopen in alameda, solano and santa cruz counties with capacity restrictions. number two, live look at the u.s. capitol where the house is expected to pass the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill later this morning. president biden expected to sign the legislation by the end of this week, and we're going to be streaming this live on our abc 7 bay area connected tv app for roku and other devices. number three, day three of wintry showers, a 1 on our storm impact scale. this will bring us hail, lightning, snow on our peaks and temperatures only in the low to mid-50s. number four, bringing you a live picture right now from emeryville, showing off 80. we have had a number of

incidents this morning. if you're making your way towards the bay bridge toll plaza, mitering lights are not on. number five, the u.s. is about to order 100 million more doses of johnson & johnson's covid-19 vaccine. president biden is expected to announce the deal later today. number six, the u.s. senate is expected to confirm merrick garland for attorney general today despite the drawnout hearing. the federal jubdge is expected o win bipartisan support. and number seven, a california teen has written a joke book that is now being sold at more than 2,000 cvs stores nationwi nationwide. the book is called "joe's joking jokes", he says he has enough money now to pay for college. what else, reggie, from your deep dive? >> he's going to have a netflix documentary they're filming now about his basketball pursuits, he wrote his first joke book when he was just 13, it sold on amazon. >> what? >> yeah. >> this is a movie. this is a whole movie.

>> i have a joke for you. >> bravo. bravo. >> do you want to hear a construction joke? >> uh-huh. >> sorry, i'm still working good morning, america.g covid crisis. the texas governor's order goes into effect this morning to lift the state's mask mandate, allow businesses to operate at 100% capacity. some cities are pushing back as los angeles strikes a deal to get kids back in classrooms. this as the race to vaccinate picks up speed. the new vaccine finder that can help you score the coveted shot and new calls for vaccine passports when it comes to travel. what will it mean for those who don't get vaccinated? this morning, the cdc director dr. rochelle walensky joins us live only on "gma." urgent manhunt. the search for the suspect who planted those pipe bombs at the